UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA 

COLLEGE    OF    AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL   EXPERIMENT  STATION 

CIRCULAR  No.  242 

May,  1922 

POULTRY   FEEDING 

By  J.  E.  DOUGHERTY 


FEEDING    LAYING    AND    BREEDING    HENS 

A  high  yield  of  first-quality  eggs  is  the  result  of  (1)  comfortable, 
healthful  quarters  (2)  skillful  feeding,  and  (3)  systematic  culling  and 
breeding.  No  system  of  feeding  can  be  made  to  overcome  the  detri- 
mental effect  on  the  egg  yield  of  indiscriminate  breeding  and  dirty, 
crowded  quarters.  It  may  be  possible  to  greatly  increase  production 
for  a  short  period  by  stimulation  with  drugs,  condiments  and  very 
concentrated  feedstuffs,  but  the  hen  soon  breaks  down  under  such 
treatment  and  her  future  usefulness  is  seriously  impaired.  All  that 
feeding  can  be  expected  to  do  is  to  supply  a  well-balanced  diet  that 
will  promote  maximum  normal  production  if  fed,  in  such  a  way  as  to 
stimulate  healthful  activity.  The  method  of  feeding  is  fully  as  im- 
portant as  the  materials  fed. 

Fowls  of  all  ages  should  be  so  fed  that  their  appetites  are  never 
entirely  satisfied,  except  when  they  go  to  roost.  In  the  case  of  yarded 
fowls  especially,  grain  mixtures  should  be  fed  in  a  deep  scratching 
litter  to  compel  the  birds  to  take  sufficient  exercise  by  scratching  vigor- 
ously for  all  they  get.  A  skillful  poultry  feeder  will  watch  his  flock 
carefully  and  make  frequent  observations  of  their  physical  condition. 
By  picking  a  bird  up  here  and  there,  while  feeding,  he  can  note  whether 
the  flock  is  in  good  general  condition  and  not  too  fat  to  lay  well.  The 
physical  condition  of  the  fowls  and  the  eagerness  with  which  they  eat 
their  feed  should  be  closely  observed  at  all  times  so  that  feeding  errors 
may  be  corrected  as  early  as  possible  and  serious  effects  prevented. 
The  scratching  litter  should  be  examined  daily  to  see  that  the  fowls 
clean  up  not  only  the  grains  they  like  best,  but  all  the  grain  fed  to 
them. 

A  very  common  error  is  that  of  too  abundant  feeding.  Grain  is 
scattered  on  the  bare  ground  where  fowls  can  pick  it  up  with  a  mini- 
mum of  effort.  If  more  is  fed  than  the  fowls  can  clean  up  in  a  short 
time,  it  lies  on  the  ground  and  the  fowls  gorge  themselves.     Their 


2  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

crops  are  continually  stuffed.  There  is  no  incentive  to  exercise  and 
these  conditions  lead  to  digestive  troubles  or  even  more  serious  com- 
plications. In  fact,  over-feeding  is  the  major  cause  of  most  poultry 
ills.  To  feed  skillfully  takes  no  additional  time  and  pays  in  lessened 
mortality  and  a  larger  egg  yield. 

An  example  of  a  very  good  ration  for  laying  hens  is  given  below : 

Mash  Mixture 
(Can  be  fed  either  moist  or  dry.) 
Grain  Mixture  25%  wheat  bran> 

40%  Whole  or  rolled  barley.  25%  wheat  shorts  or  brown  middlings. 

20%  Egyptian  corn  or  milo  maize.  25%  ground  barley,  or  oats,  milo,  etc. 

20%  "cracked  Indian  corn.  5%  soybean  or  linseed  meal. 

20%  whole  wheat.  5%  coconut    or    soybean    or    linseed    or 

cottonseed  meal  or  ground  beans. 

15%  meatscrap  or  fishscrap. 

2J%  finely  granulated  charcoal. 

|  of  1%  finely  sifted  dairy  salt. 

N.B. — The  proportions  are  by  weight.     Charcoal  and  salt  are  fed  in  addition  to 
the  100%  mixture  of  feedstuff s. 

Variety  of  Feed. — The  feeding  of  one  grain  alone  is  not  likely  to 
give  as  good  results  as  a  mixture  of  two  grains ;  and  a  mixture  of  three 
or  four  grains  is  even  better.  It  pays  to  feed  grain  mixtures  and 
mash  mixtures  containing  quite  a  variety  of  feeds,  if  feed  prices  will 
allow,  because  variety  increases  palatability,  and  palatability  pro- 
duces a  more  efficient  use  of  the  feed  eaten,  by  stimulating  a  more 
copious  secretion  of  the  digestive  juices. 

Variety  in  the  ration  also  insures  the  fowls  getting  a  sufficient 
supply  of  all  the  different  food  components  needed  to  promote  health 
and  maximum  production.  Some  feeds  lack  certain  essential  sub- 
stances that  others  possess.  If  the  ration  is  limited  to  a  very  few 
feeds,  some  of  these  essential  substances  may  be  lacking,  and  the  health 
and  production  of  the  fowls  will  thereby  be  affected.  Scurvy,  e.g.,  is 
a  disease  caused  by  the  absence  of  essential  food  elements  and  may 
result  from  a  lack  of  enough  variety  in  the  diet. 

Changing  the  Ration. — The  grain  and  mash  mixtures  fed  can  be 
changed  from  time  to  time  to  meet  changing  conditions  in  the  avail- 
able supply  and  the  cost  of  grains  and  millfeeds,  by  changing  the 
proportions  of  the  feeds  used,  adding  others  or  making  such  other 
changes  as  are  indicated  in  the  following  pages.  It  is  recommended, 
however,  that  in  order  to  obtain  the  desired  variety,  not  less  than  three 
grains  be  included  in  the  grain  ration,  using  not  more  than  50%  or 
less  than  20%  of  each.    If  barley  and  oats  are  included  in  the  grain 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  FEEDING  3 

mixture,  not  more  than  50%  of  both  together  should  be  used  because 
of  the  amounts  of  fiber  contained  in  the  hulls  of  the  two  grains, 
especially  the  oats. 

Wheat  is  one  of  the  most  popular  and  extensively  used  cereal 
grains  for  poultry  feeding,  but  its  inclusion  in  the  grain  ration  is  not 
indispensable,  provided  the  mash  is  well  supplied  with  wheat  mill 
feeds,  such  as  bran  and  shorts.  This  fact  was  thoroughly  demon- 
strated during  the  world  war.  Yellow  corn  is  another  very  popular 
cereal  grain  among  poultry  keepers  and  should  be  fed  at  least  in  small 
quantity,  if  not  too  high  in  price.  Barley,  being  one  of  the  cheapest 
grains  that  can  be  obtained  in  California  and  an  excellent  poultry 
feed,  should  form  a  major  part  of  the  grain  ration  for  laying  fowls. 

Sprouted  Grain. — Barley  and  oats  are  the  two  grains  most  exten- 
sively sprouted  for  feeding  poultry.  They  are  sprouted  for  two  pur- 
poses: (1)  to  increase  their  palatability,  (2)  to  furnish  green  feed  in 
winter  when  other  greens  are  difficult  to  secure.  Barley  is  more  gen- 
erally used  for  the  first  purpose  than  oats  because  it  is  usually  cheaper 
and  is  eagerly  eaten  when  sprouted  until  the  first  sprouts  are  about 
!/4  inch  long.  This  sprouting  not  only  increases  the  succulence  and 
palatibility  of  the  grain,  but  may  also  make  it  more  digestible  by 
changing  some  of  the  starch  into  sugar.  The  feeding  of  grains 
sprouted  in  this  way  has  been  found  very  beneficial  in  stimulating  egg 
production  in  fall  and  winter. 

If  sprouted  grain  having  root  sprouts  about  V4  inch  long  is  fed,  the 
dry  grain  mixture  minus  such  grain  should  be  given  in  a  scratching 
litter  in  the  morning  and  the  sprouted  grain  at  night.  If  rather 
moist  sprouted  grains  are  fed  in  the  scratch  litter  or  on  the  ground, 
much  dirt  may  adhere  to  them  and  be  eaten  by  the  fowls.  Feeding 
in  troughs  will  avoid  this. 

Grain  will  sprout  more  rapidly  in  a  warm  than  in  a  cool  place. 
Hot  beds,  green  houses,  brooder  house  pits  and  warm  cellars  are  often 
used  for  this  purpose. 

A  convenient  method  of  sprouting  to  increase  the  palatability  of 
the. grain  is  to  place  the  quantity  of  dry  grain  required  for  one  day's 
feeding  in  a  clean,  water-tight  receptacle  such  as  a  tub,  box,  5-gallon 
linseed  oil  can  or  bucket  (vessel  No.  1)  in  the  evening  and  cover  the 
grain  with  warm  water.  The  next  morning  the  soaked  grain  is  turned 
into  vessel  No.  2,  a  receptacle  provided  with  cracks  or  holes  in  the 
bottom  through  which  all  surplus  water  will  drain  away.  That  even- 
ing another  lot  is  put  to  soak  in  vessel  No.  1.  The  following  morning 
the  sprouting  grain  from  vessel  No.  2  is  transferred  into  a  similar 
container  (vessel  No.  3),  and  the  soaked  grain  in  vessel  No.  1  is  put 


4  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

into  vessel  No.  2.  That  evening  a  fresh  lot  of  dry  grain  is  put  to 
soak  in  vessel  No.  1  and  the  process  continued  each  day  using  as  many 
vessels  as  necessary.  When  the  first  lot  has  developed  short  sprouts 
it  is  ready  to  feed. 

The  grain  is  turned  from  one  vessel  into  another  each  day  to  stir 
it  up  and  prevent  it  from  heating.  If  the  vessels  used  are  large  enough 
to  permit  of  stirring  the  grain,  it  need  not  be  transferred  to  another 
vessel  each  day  after  being  emptied  out  of  vessel  No.  1.  The  recep- 
tacles should  be  covered  to  keep  the  top  layers  of  grain  from  drying 
out  and  it  may  be  necessary  to  sprinkle  the  grain  each  day  with  warm 
water  to  keep  it  sufficiently  moist  in  dry  weather. 

Oats  or  barley  can  be  further  sprouted  to  produce  a  tender,  suc- 
culent green  food  equal  to  any  other  tender  greens  as  an  appetizing, 
health  promoting,  tonic  food.  Since  it  costs  more,  however,  to  sprout 
grains  for  green  food  than  to  grow  greens  in  the  field,  sprouting  is 
only  resorted  to  when  other  green  stuff  is  unobtainable. 

The  most  suitable  place  in  which  to  sprout  grain  -for  greens  is  a 
well  lighted,  sunny  room  or  cabinet  that  can  be  kept  at  a  temperature 
of  not  less  than  70°  F.  Sunshine  is  required  if  the  sprouts  are  to 
grow  green  in  color,  and  heat  and  moisture  are  needed  to  stimulate 
a  rapid,  tender  and  succulent  growth.  Sprouting  in  too  cool  a  place 
produces  a  toughening  of  the  plant  fibers  which  makes  the  green  food 
much  less  digestible,  and  may  bring  about  a  crop-bound  condition 
due  to  the  toughness  of  the  root  strands  which  tend  to  twist  up  into 
a  matted  mass  in  the  crop  instead  of  breaking  up  and  digesting  easily. 
In  order  to  obtain  a  quick  and  tender  growth,  sunlight,  moisture  and 
warmth  are  essential. 

The  sprouting  process  may  conveniently  be  carried  on  by  taking 
approximately  1  gallon  of  dry  grain  for  each  400  fowls,  placing  it  in 
a  suitable  vessel,  covering  with  warm  water  and  allowing  to  stand 
12  hours.  It  is  then  transferred  to  shallow  trays  and  spread  out 
evenly  to  a  depth  of  about  one  inch.  Each  day  a  fresh  lot  of  dry 
grain  is  put  to  soak  and  spread  out  on  clean  trays  after  soaking 
12  hours.  The  trays  of  sprouting  grain  should  be  sprinkled  with 
warm  water  daily  and  until  the  sprouts  become  %  inch  long,  they 
should  be  thoroughly  raked  over  twice  each  day.  In  from  six  to 
eight  days  the  green  sprouts  should  attain  a  height  of  from  4  to  6 
inches.  The  material  is  then  ready  to  feed,  after  being  torn  into 
small  pieces  a  few  inches  square.  The  quantity  of  dry  grain  put  to 
soak  each  day  should  produce  sufficient  green  feed  for  one  day's  feed- 
ing, from  six  to  eight  days  later. 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  FEEDING  5 

The  trays  should  be  about  l1/)  inches  deep  and  have  a  bottom  area 
of  6  to  9  square  feet.  They  can  be  made  in  any  desired  shape  and  of 
either  wood  or  metal.  Wooden  trays  absorb  moisture,  may  warp 
badly  and  are  much  more  difficult  to  keep  clean  and  free  from  mold 
than  metal  trays.  The  bottoms  of  wooden  trays  should  be  made  with 
at  least  four  pieces  of  wood  so  that  surplus  water  can  readily  drain 
away  through  the  cracks.  The  bottoms  of  metal  trays  should  be  per- 
forated with  holes  from  y8  to  %6  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  To  prevent 
molding-  of  the  grain,  the  trays  should  be  scraped  clean  before  being 
used  again  and  scrubbed  with  a  strong  solution  of  commercial  for- 
maldehyde (about  10%  solution). 

Rice  Products. — The  rapid  development  of  the  rice  industry  in 
California  has  created  another  and  fairly  abundant  source  of  supply 
of  stock  feeds  in  the  form  of  rice  by-products.  These  by-products 
have  proved  to  be  very  good  poultry  feeds  if  used  in  limited  amounts 
and  to  add  variety  to  the  diet.  Since  most  rice  feeds  are  starchy  and 
have  rather  a  high  oil  content,  they  are  fattening  in  character. 
Ground  rice  feeds  are  apt  to  turn  rancid  if  held  too  long,  because  of 
the  considerable  amount  of  oil  they  contain.  They  must,  therefore, 
be  stored  and  fed  with  care. 

Brown  or  rough  rice  (with  the  hulls  removed),  rice  screenings, 
shrunken  rice,  paddy  rice,  etc.*,  can  be  used  as  a  part  of  the  grain 
mixture.  The  brown  rice  is  to  be  preferred  because  the  seed  coat 
which  contains  very  valuable  nutrient  substances  has  not  been  removed 
by  polishing  as  in  the  case  of  white  rice.  Rice  bran  containing  no 
extra  hulls  and  not  less  than  10%  of  crude  protein  or  5%  of  fat,  and 
not  more  than  14 %  of  crude  fiber  (guaranteed  analysis),  rice  polish, 
rice  meal,  etc.,  can  be  used  in  the  mash  mixture.  The  use  of  rice 
products  for  poultry  should  depend  largely  upon  their  cost  and  they 
should  be  fed  in  connection  with  more  common  poultry  feeds. 

Cull  Beans. — Cull  beans  make  an  excellent  poultry  feed,  but  in 
the  whole  or  cracked  state,  most  varieties  are  unpalatable  and  chickens 
will  not  eat  them.  If  ground  to  a  meal,  however,  or  cooked  and 
mashed,  they  are  readily  eaten,  and  can  be  included  in  the  mash 
mixture  to  the  extent  of  20%  dry  weight. 

Mill  Run  vs.  Bran.— Mill  run  may  replace  bran  and  shorts  if  the 
latter  cannot  be  obtained.  If  the  mill  run  (also  called  mixed  mill 
feed)  is  largely  coarse  bran,  25%  of  gray  or  flour  middlings  can  be 
added  to  advantage  to  75%  of  mill  run,  to  reduce  or  offset  the  greater 
bulkiness  and  higher  fiber  content  of  the  mill  run  as  compared  with 
a  mixture  of  equal  parts,  by  weight,  of  bran  and  shorts. 


b  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

Fresh  Animal  Products. — Ground  fresh,  raw,  green  bone  can  be 
used  as  a  substitute  for  commercial  dried  meatscrap.  It  should  be 
fed  at  the  rate  of  3  pounds  of  green  bone  for  each  pound  of  meat- 
scrap  replaced  and  may  be  fed  in  a  moist  mash  or  given  separately 
at  noon  in  troughs  or  pans.  For  fowls  that  are  fed  equal  amounts  of 
grain  and  mash  (dry  weight),  approximately  5  pounds  of  green  bone 
per  100  fowls  per  day  is  the  right  amount  to  feed  as  a  substitute  for 
all  of  the  meatscrap.  If  fresh  slaughterhouse  blood  can  be  readily 
obtained  at  an  attractive  price,  it  may  be  fed  in  a  moist  mash  and 
used  to  replace  meatscrap  in  the  same  quantities  as  green  bone.  In 
feeding  fresh  blood,  however,  it  is  recommended  that  not  more  than 
enough  to  replace  50%  of  the  meatscrap  be  used  continuously.  The 
inclusion  of  fresh  animal  products  in  the  mash  makes  it  necessary  to 
feed  it  moist  instead  of  as  a  dry  mash,  which  entails  more  labor  in 
feeding. 

Sour  skimmilk  or  buttermilk  will  also  take  the  place  of  meatscrap 
if  the  milk  can  be  kept  constantly  before  fowls  in  drinking  pans. 
They  will  consume  as  much  as  30  or  40  pounds  of  milk  per  100  head 
per  day.  One  pound  of  commercial  dried  meatscrap  is  equivalent  to 
about  15  pounds  of  normal  skimmilk  or  buttermilk. 

Manufactured  Condensed  Milk  Products. — The  feeding  value  of 
manufactured,  condensed  buttermilk  products  will  depend  largely 
upon  their  concentration.  Their  cost  as  compared  with  that  of  fresh 
buttermilk  should  always  be  considered.  If  fresh  buttermilk  of  good 
quality  can  be  obtained,  it  is  undoubtedly  a  better  feed  at  the  same 
cost  per  pound  of  milk  solids  than  any  of  the  condensed  products. 

The  so-called  tonic  value  of  the  lactic  acid  in  buttermilk  is  a  sub- 
ject requiring  more  extensive  investigation  before  any  definite  con- 
clusions can  be  reached.  Investigations  to  date  have  not  demonstrated 
that  lactic  acid  is  the  principal  element  in  milk  which  gives  it  its 
disease-controlling  value.  On  the  contrary,  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  other  nutrients  are  just  as  valuable  as  the  lactic  acid 
in  building  up  and  maintaining  the  vigor  of  fowls  and  in  controlling 
certain  diseases. 

For  the  purpose  of  stimulating  a  rapid,  vigorous  growth  of  young 
stock,  buttermilk  and  sour  skim  milk  are  perhaps  better  feeds  than 
meatscrap  or  fishscrap ;  for  laying  hens,  however,  milk  products  have 
not  been  found  superior  to  these  other  animal  feeds.  When  it  is 
considered  that  one  pound  of  a  good  grade  of  meatscrap  is  equivalent 
to  nearly  two  gallons  of  buttermilk,  and  when  the  labor  cost  of  obtain- 
ing and  "feeding  out"  the  milk  in  good  condition  is  also  considered, 
it  is  a  question  whether  many  poultry  raisers  can  afford  to  pay  even 


Circular  242} 


POULTRY   FEEDING 


as  much  for  such  milk  products  per  pound  of  milk  solids,  as  for  com- 
mercial meatscrap  or  fishscrap. 

Buttermilk  contains  approximately  10%  of  milk  solids  and  90% 
of  water ;  hence  the  complete  evaporation  of  about  10  gallons  of  fresh 
buttermilk  would  produce  one  gallon  of  a  dry  buttermilk  powder.  It 
would,  therefore,  be  impossible  to  add  from  30  to  49  gallons  of  water 
to  one  gallon  of  a  condensed  buttermilk  product  already  containing 
from  60%  to  80%  of  water  and  obtain,  as  claimed,  a  diluted  product 
equal  in  feeding  value,  on  the  basis  of  milk  solids,  to  fresh  buttermilk. 
None  of  the  samples  of  semi-solid  or  condensed  buttermilk  products 
so  far  analyzed  by  this  station  have  contained  less  than  60%  of  water. 

The  following  table  shows  how  the  dilution  and  cost  per  gallon 
of  a  diluted  condensed  milk  product  approximately  similar  in  feeding 
value  to  fresh  buttermilk  may  vary  with  the  percent  of  moisture  con- 
tained in  the  original  product  on  the  basis  of  milk  solids.  It  is 
assumed  that  the  manufactured  milk  product  is  made  wholly  from 
milk,  without  the  addition  of  mineral  acid,  sassafras  oil,  or  other  sub- 
stances. 


Original  Product 

Water  required 
to  dilute 

to  consistency 

of  fresh 

buttermilk 

Total 
quantity 

after 
diluting 

Price 
per  gallon 
undiluted 

Cost 

per  gallon 

diluted 

Amount 

Water, 
per  cent 

Milk 

solids, 

per  cent 

1  gal. 
1  gal. 
1  gal. 
1  lb. 
1  lb. 
1  lb. 

80 
70 
60 
80 
70 
60 

20 
30 
40 
20 
30 
40 

1  gal. 

2  gal. 

3  gal. 

1  lb. 

2  lb. 

3  lb. 

2  gal. 

3  gal. 

4  gal. 

2  lb. 

3  lb. 

4  lb. 

50c 

50c 

50c 

51c  @  6c  per  lb. 

51c  @  6c  per  lb. 

51c  @  6c  per  lb. 

25c 

16%e 

12y2e 

25.5c 

17c 

12.7c 

Note. — In  above  calculation  fresh  buttermilk  was  considered  as  weighing  8.5  lbs. 
per  gallon. 


Green  Feed. — Fresh,  green  alfalfa,  rape,  kale,  clover  lawn  clip- 
pings, young  green  corn,  chard,  beet  tops,  Sudan  grass,  Chinese  cab- 
bage, young  green  barley,  etc.,  should  be  fed  plentifully  to  poultry  of 
all  ages,  in  addition  to  the  grain  and  mash  mixtures.  Greens  should 
be  fed  only  in  a  fresh  and  tender  condition,  and  the  fowls  given  all 
they  will  clean  up  daily.  Allowing  poultry  to  range  over  young, 
growing  forage  crops  is  much  more  beneficial  than  cutting  and  feeding- 
green  stuff,  but  if  the  latter  method  must  be  adopted  it  is  desirable 
to  cut  the  feed  very  finely  in  a  feed  cutter  and  feed  it  in  a  green  feed 
rack.     (See  Fig.  1.)     The  use  of  such  a  rack  greatly  lessens  waste 


8  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

because  it  holds  the  fresh  material  together  so  that  it  remains  in  an 
unwilted  and  succulent  condition  for  a  much  longer  time  than  it 
would  if  it  were  thrown  on  the  ground  and  scattered  about  by  .the 
hens.  Enough  green  stuff  should  be  put  in  the  rack  in  the  morning, 
immediately  after  feeding  the  grain,  to  last  till  noon  and  then  only 
as  much  more  added  as  the  fowls  will  clean  up  by  4  p.m. 


Fig.  1. — Green  feed  hopper  used  at  the  University  Farm,  Davis. 

If  green  stuff  must  be  fed  on  the  ground,  cutting  it  up  very  finely 
and  feeding  it  two  or  three  times  a  day  in  small  amounts  will  prove 
least  wasteful  and  produce  better  results  because  more  will  be  eaten 
than  if  only  one  large  feeding  once  a  day  is  given.  This  is  especially 
true  in  dry  weather  when  green  stuff  dries  rapidly  after  being  cut. 
Fowls  will  not  eat  wilted,  dried-out  greens.  Neither  will  they  con- 
sume as  high  a  percentage  of  unchopped  as  of  finely  chopped  greens, 
especially  of  the  stems  and  more  fibrous  parts  of  such  crops  as  alfalfa, 
green  barley,  young  green  corn,  and  Sudan  grass. 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  FEEDING  9 

Grit.— Foultry  do  not  have  teeth  with  which  to  tear  and  grind  the 
food  eaten,  before  it  leaves  the  month.  Except  for  green  herbage, 
vegetables,  fresh  meat,  etc.,  which  can  be  torn  or  broken  with  the 
strong,  horny  beak,  into  pieces  small  enough  to  be  swallowed,  the  food 
must  pass  from  the  month  into  the  crop  just  as  it  is  picked  np. 

As  the  food  passes  through  the  crop  and  second  stomach  (proven- 
tri cuius)  it  is  softened  and  acted  upon  by  the  digestive  juices,  but  the 
actual  grinding  is  not  done  until  the  food  reaches  the  gizzard.  The 
gizzard  is  a  powerful  grinding  organ  with  a  tough,  convoluted  lining 
which  grinds  the  softened  and  partly  digested  food  to  a  very  fine  state 
by  means  of  the  abrasive  action  of  small  pieces  of  stone  or  grit.  The 
fowls  pick  up  and  eat  this  grit  as  they  need  it  and  it  passes  with  the 
food  into  the  gizzard  where  it  is  held  until  worn  to  minute  fragments. 
An  insufficient  supply  of  grit  to  properly  grind  the  food  in  the  giz- 
zard is  detrimental  to  the  health  of  poultry. 

The  kind  of  stone  used  as  poultry  grit  does  not  seem  to  be  im- 
portant. A  hard,  granite  grit  little  affected  by  the  digestive  fluids 
lasts  longer  than  a  limestone  grit,  however,  and  a  sharp  grit  is 
believed  to  grind  the  food  more  effectively  than  rounded,  pebble-like 
material.  A  commercial  limestone  grit  contains  about  95%  of  car- 
bonate of  lime.  As  the  grit  is  disintegrated  in  the  gizzard  this  lime 
becomes  available  for  building  bone  in  growing  stock  and  for  making 
egg  shell  in  the  case  of  laying  hens. 

For  adult  fowls  grit  as  coarse  as  whole  corn  is  preferable.  For 
younger  birds  finer  grades  known  as  intermediate  and  chick  grit  are 
used. 

Oystershell. — Oystershell  is  fed  to  poultry  as  a  direct  source  of 
supply  of  carbonate  of  lime  for  the  making  of  egg  shell  whenever  pro- 
duction increases  to  a  point  where  the  need  for  such  lime  exceeds  the 
amount  supplied  in  the  diet.  The  value  of  an  oystershell  product  will 
depend  on  its  lime  content.  Crushed  oystershell  and  grit  should  be 
clean  and  free  from  dust  and  dirt;  they  should  be  available  to  the 
flock  at  all  times  in  self-feeding  hoppers. 

Charcoal. — Charcoal  in  a  clean,  granulated  condition  is  fed  to 
poultry  to  prevent  indigestion  and  to  purify  the  blood.  It  is  usually 
added  to  the  dry  mash  at  the  rate  of  one  pound  of  charcoal  to  40 
pounds  of  mash.  It  may  also  be  fed  in  self-feeding  hoppers,  although 
this  is  not  a  common  practice. 

Salt. — Salt  added  to  the  mash  in  small  quantities  is  believed  to 
make  it  more  palatable  and  to  have  a  beneficial  effect  in  promoting 
the  health  of  poultry  just  as  it  has  with  mammals.    One  pound  of  salt 


10  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

to  200  pounds  of  mash  is  about  the  right  proportion.  In  large 
amounts  however,  it  is  poisonous. 

Method  of  Feeding. — The  grain  mixture  should  be  fed  in  a  deep 
straw  litter  at  the  rate  of  appromixately  4  pounds  in  the  morning,  and 
6  pounds  at  night,  for  each  100  full-grown  fowls  of  the  lighter  breeds, 
such  as  Leghorns.  Fowls  of  the  heavier  breeds,  such  as  Plymouth 
Rocks,  may  be  fed  somewhat  more  if  they  require  it.  Laying  hens 
should  consume  an  equal  amount,  dry  weight,  of  mash  per  day,  in 
addition  to  the  grain.  The  total  quantity  of  grain  and  mash  con- 
sumed per  hen  annually  is  about  72  pounds,  or  six  pounds  per  month. 

The  dry  mash  should  be  kept  in  a  hopper  before  the  fowls  at  all 
times.  In  the  case  of  older  hens  of  the  heavier  breeds,  such  as 
Plymouth  Rocks,  Wyandottes,  and  Rhode  Island  Reds  the  hopper  may 
have  to  be  kept  closed  till  about  noon  each  day  as  these  birds  have 
a  tendency  to  over-eat  and  to  become  too  fat  to  lay.  The  accumulation 
of  an  excess  quantity  of  fat  in  the  abdomen  crowds  the  egg  organs  and 
egg  production  is  first  retarded  and  later  entirely  checked.  Fowls 
will  be  kept  in  fine  laying  condition  by  feeding  only  as  much  mixed 
grain  in  a  deep  litter  in  the  morning  as  will  stimulate  vigorous  scratch- 
ing and  not  quite  satisfy  the  appetites  of  the  fowls,  regulating  the 
consumption  of  dry  mash  to  conform  with  the  consumption  of  grain. 

Fowls  are  confined  a  great  deal  in  winter  because  of  weather  con- 
ditions. During  rainy  weather  and  for  as  long  after  a  rain  as  the 
surface  of  the  ground  remains  damp  and  sticky,  they  are  more  com- 
fortable and  will  lay  better  if  confined  to  the  laying  houses.  A  moist, 
sticky  soil  adheres  to  the  feet  of  the  fowls.  As  they  track  this  wet 
soil  into  the  nests  and  scratching  pens,  the  litter  and  the  nests  quickly 
become  damp  and  dirty  and  the  percentage  of  dirty  eggs  increases. 
Dirty,  damp  pens  must  be  restrawed.  Dirty  eggs  must  be  washed. 
The  cost  of  restrawing  pens  and  washing  eggs  from  this  unnecessary 
cause  can  also  be  eliminated  by  confining  fowls  in  wet  weather.  Wet, 
muddy  feet,  wet  plumage  and  damp,  chilly  houses  will  do  as  much, 
if  not  more,  to  retard  winter  egg  production  and  increase  costs  as 
careful  feeding  and  management  will  do  to  stimulate  the  yield  and 
lower  operating  expenses. 

After  scratching  in  the  litter  all  morning,  fowls  that  are  confined 
during  unpleasant  winter  weather  are  likely  to  become  less  active 
about  midday  and  to  perch  on  the  roosts  or  huddle  in  corners.  If  a 
light  feeding  of  a  crumbly  moist  mash,  made  from  the  regular  dry 
mash  mixture,  is  fed  at  this  time,  it  will  tend  to  put  new  energy  into 
the  birds  and  aid  greatly  in  increasing  the  winter  egg  yield.     Finely 


Circular  242]  poultry  feeding  11 

cut  roots  or  tender  greens  can  be  included  in  such  a  moist  mash  with 
great  benefit.  At  other  times  of  the  year  when  weather  conditions 
are  more  favorable  and  fowls  can  spend  most  of  the  day  out  of  doors, 
a  dry  mash  is  all  that  is  needed. 

No  change  in  the  laying  mash  formula  is  recommended  during  the 
molting  period.  It  has  been  found  that  feeds  which  are  beneficial 
for  molting  are  equally  valuable  for  stimulating  egg  production  and 
they  have,  therefore,  been  included  in  proper  amounts  in  the  regular 
laying  ration. 

CHICK    FEEDING 

Care  the  First  Day  or  Tivo. — The  brooder  should  be  prepared  for 
baby  chicks  by  covering  the  floor  under  and  around  the  hover  with 
sifted  light  or  dark  sand  and  regulating  the  heat  to  a  temperature 
between  90°  and  95°  F.,  with  the  thermometer  near  the  outer  edge  of 
the  hover  and  the  center  of  the  thermometer  bulb  two  inches  above 
the  floor.  Boards  or  one  inch  mesh  wire  netting,  one  foot  wide,  should 
be  used  to  form  a  small  enclosure  around  the  hover  for  the  first  three 
or  four  days  to  prevent  the  chicks  from  straying  away  until  they 
become  familiar  with  their  new  quarters.  In  large  brooder  pens,  the 
enclosure  should  be  enlarged  somewhat  each  day  in  order  to  gradually 
accustom  the  chicks  to  the  larger  area.  In  small  pens  this  is  not 
necessary. 

About  24  hours  after  the  hatch  is  completed  the  chicks  are  taken 
from  the  incubator,  placed  under  the  hover  in  the  brooder,  and  given 
fresh  water  to  drink.  It  is  better  to  move  them  into  the  brooder  in 
the  morning  so  that  they  can  be  closely  watched  for  the  first  few 
hours.  No  solid  food  should  be  given  until  the  chicks  are  from  60 
to  72  hours  old.  When  a  chick  leaves  the  shell  a  good  deal  of  the 
yolk  is  still  undigested  and  should  be  absorbed  before  the  chick's 
digestive  organs  are  ready  to  handle  much  other  food. 

Feeding  Milk. — If  it  can  be  obtained  at  a  reasonable  cost,  butter- 
milk or  sour  skim  milk  may  be  given  to  chicks  from  the  time  they  are 
removed  to  the  brooder.  Sour  skim  milk  will  be  consumed  more 
evenly  if  it  is  vigorously  agitated  with  a  dasher  before  being  fed, 
to  break  the  curd  into  fine  particles.  Milk  may  be  fed  in  the  morn- 
ing and  water  given  in  the  afternoon,  or  both  may  be  fed  during  the 
whole  day.  If  mash  is  kept  before  young  chicks,  however,  milk  should 
not  be  fed  after  3  p.m.  Chicks  having  access  to  both  mash  and  milk 
in  the  late  afternoon  are  prone  to  over-eat  of  these  foods  before  going 


12  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

to  bed.  Digestion  is  slower  at  night  than  during  the  day  when  the 
chicks  are  vigorously  exercising,  and  a  mushy  mixture  of  these  foods 
in  the  hot  interior  of  the  crop  at  this  time  may  ferment  before  it  can 
be  digested.  The  result  is  a  condition  of  colic  or  sour  crop  which  is 
generally  fatal  to  chicks  under  three  weeks  of  age  and  weakening  to 
older  chicks. 

Young  stock  which  are  fed  all  the  buttermilk  or  sour  skim  milk 
they  will  drink  need  no  other  animal  feed,  such  as  meatscrap,  fish- 
scrap,  or  bonemeal  in  their  diet.  If  only  a  small  amount  of  milk  can 
be  fed,  however,  animal  feed  should  not  be  eliminated  from  the  ration, 
but  merely  reduced  in  quantity.  One  pound  of  commercial  meatscrap 
or  fishscrap  should  be  considered  equal  to  about  15  pounds  of  fresh 
buttermilk. 

If  chicks  are  pli37sicked  from  drinking  milk  too  eagerly  or  develop 
sour  crop,  the  milk  should  be  fed  in  the  morning  only.  Some  lots  of 
chicks  may  develop  an  abnormal  appetite  for  milk;  this  should  be 
curbed  by  feeding  more  sparingly. 

Feeding  the  Grain. — When  from  60  to  72  hours  old,  chicks  are  fed 
a  chick  grain  mixture  on  a  board  or  in  a  shallow  chick  hopper  placed 
just  outside  of  the  hover.     The  following  mixture  is  recommended : 

33Va%  cracked  wheat  (by  weight)  ; 
S3y3%  fine  cracked  corn; 
33%%  steel-cut  oats. 

The  grain  mixture  should  be  left  before  the  chicks  till  they  learn 
to  eat  readily.  This  will  take  one  or  two  days  as  they  will  pick  con- 
siderably at  first  but  swallow  very  little.  On  the  second  day  the  grain 
hoppers  can  usually  be  removed  at  noon  and  a  little  grain  then 
sprinkled  over  the  sand  just  outside  the  hover.  If  this  grain  is  eaten 
readily,  more  should  be  given  in  the  same  way  at  4  p.m.  and  again 
the  next  morning,  giving  the  chicks  at  each  feeding  only  what  they 
will  clean  up  in  about  an  hour.  The  chicks  should  be  sufficiently 
strong  and  active  by  this  time  so  that  they  can  be  given  further  feed- 
ings of  grain  in  a  scratching  litter  consisting  of  a  light  covering  of 
fine  cut  alfalfa  hay  spread  over  the  scratching  floor.  The  grain  should 
be  scattered  in  this  litter  three  times  a  day  till  the  feeding  of  mash 
is  begun,  when  the  noon  feeding  of  grain  should  be  omitted. 

The  depth  of  the  scratching  litter  should  be  increased  as  the 
chicks  grow  older,  but  care  should  be  taken  not  to  get  it  too  deep  to 
allow  them  to  dig  to  the  bottom  easily,  or  so  shallow  that  they  do  not 
have  to  work  to  get  the  grain. 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  FEEDING  13 

As  the  birds  increase  in  size,  usually  at  about  four  or  five  weeks 
of  age,  a  mixture  of  %  cut  alfalfa  hay  and  y2  cut  straw  may  be  used  in 
place  of  straight  alfalfa  litter  and  a  few  weeks  later  whole  straw  (if 
not  too  coarse)  can  be  used.  Planer  shavings  are  also  used  as  a 
litter  material,  but  are  likely  to  pack  too  much  and  not  conceal  the 
grain.     They  also  draw  dampness  in  wet  weather. 

The  scratching  litter,  if  used  wisely,  is  an  effective  means  of  sup- 
plying brooder  chicks  with  healthful  exercise.  Plenty  of  exercise 
aids  in  developing  sturdy  chicks  that  make  rapid  growth  and  it  is 
one  of  the  most  valuable  preventives  of  disease. 

At  feeding  time,  before  any  grain  is  scattered  over  the  floor,  the 
litter  should  be  carefully  examined  to  see  if  the  chicks  have  cleaned 
up  all  the  grain  from  the  previous  feeding.  If  grain  is  found  in  the 
litter,  no  more  should  be  fed  till  that  already  in  the  litter  has  been 
consumed  and  the  amount  given  at  a  feeding  should  be  reduced.  If 
all  the  grain  has  been  scratched  out  of  the  litter,  and  the  chicks  act 
exceptionally  hungry  at  meal  time,  the  amount  of  grain  should  be 
increased.  Approximately  one-half  pint  of  grain  should  be  given  at 
a  feeding  to  each  100  chicks  under  one  week  old  and  the  amount 
increased  from  week  to  week  as  the  birds  grow  in  size. 

The  chicks  should  be  fed  only  as  much  grain  as  they  will  eat  to 
keep  them  growing  thriftily  without  entirely  satisfying  their  appetites. 
They  should  come  to  each  meal  reasonably  hungry. 

Changing  from  Chick  to  Growing  Grains. — If  steel-cut  oats  are 
too  costly  to  be  used,  cracked  hulled  barley,  cracked  milo,  cracked 
Egyptian  corn,  etc.,  can  be  substituted.  However,  no  better  grain 
can  be  used  as  a  starting  feed  for  the  first  few  weeks  of  a  chick's  life 
than  hulled  oats.  After  that  time  other  grains  may  be  used  to  replace 
the  oats.  Steel-cut  oats  are  preferable  to  rolled  oatmeal  or  so-called 
breakfast  rolled  oats  as  the  latter  are  likely  to  become  sticky  when 
moistened  by  the  juices  in  the  crop  and  * '  ball  up ' '  into  a  cohesive  mass 
difficult  to  digest,  especially  when  fed  alone. 

At  about  six  weeks  of  age,  or  as  soon  as  the  chicks  are  large  enough 
to  eat  them,  cracked  grains  should  be  replaced  by  whole  grains,  in  the 
case  of  small  grains  like  wheat,  milo,  oats,  barley,  etc.  Fine  cracked 
corn  should  not  be  replaced  by  the  coarse  cracked  grade,  however, 
until  two  or  more  weeks  later. 

One  should  not  be  too  hasty  in  changing  from  fine  to  coarser 
cracked  and  whole  grains.  This  is  particularly  true  with  yellow  corn 
because  the  coarse  cracked  grade  may  vary  considerably  in  coarseness 
with  different  lots.  The  larger  particles  of  a  very  coarse  lot  might 
prove  injurious.    A  little  care  in  this  matter  is  well  worth  while. 


14  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

Whole  barley  may  be  added  to  the  grain  ration  of  chicks  from 
10  to  12  weeks  of  age.  It  should  be  used  moderately  at  first  and  grad- 
ually increased,  but  the  total  amount  used  should  not  exceed  50% 
of  the  grain  ration. 

Feeding  the  Mash. — When  chicks  are  seven  days  old,  the  feeding 
of  a  dry  mash  is  usually  begun.  The  following  formula  and  method 
of  feeding  it  are  recommended : 

25%  bran  # 

25%  shorts  ' ' 

20%  yellow  corn  meal  I 

10%  soybean  meal 

15%  meatscrap 

5%  very  finely  ground  bone  meal 
2-|%  granulated  chick  charcoal. 

Note. — All  proportions  are  by  weight.    The  charcoal  is  fed  in  addi- 
tion to  the  100%  mixture  of  feedstuffs. 

At    7  days  old  begin  feeding  dry  mash  from  10  a.m.  to  11  a.m. 
At  14  days  old  begin  feeding  dry  mash  from  10  a.m.  to  12  m. 
At  28  days  old  begin  feeding  dry  mash  from  10  a.m.  to    1  p.m. 
At  42  days  old  begin  feeding  dry  mash  from  10  a.m.  to    2  p.m. 

For  pullets  and  cockerels  to  be  raised  for  laying  and  breeding,  a 
well  formulated  laying  mash,  such  as  the  one  given  on  page  2,  should 
replace  the  chick  or  growing  mash  at  three  months  of  age.  The  chick 
mash  is  a  high-protein  feed  designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  strong,  rapid 
growth.  After  three  months  of  age,  however,  a  mash  of  lower  protein 
content,  such  as  a  laying  mash,  is  more  suited  to  the  development  of 
vigorous,  good-sized  pullets.  The  hoppers  of  laying  mash  should  be 
closed  two  hours  before  the  night  feeding  of  grain  and  opened  at  the 
morning  feeding  of  grain. 

If  pullets  begin  to  ''make  comb"  rapidly  at  4%  months  of  age, 
and  show  other  signs  of  coming  into  laying  too  early,  the  laying  mash 
should  be  stopped  and  a  mixture  of  95%  bran,  5%  bonemeal  and 
2%%  charcoal,  by  weight,  substituted  for  it.  This  mash  may  be  kept 
before  the  fowls  at  all  times.  After  5%  months  of  age,  the  dry  bran 
and  bone  meal  can  be  discontinued  and  the  feeding  of  the  laying 
mash  resumed. 

Feeding  for  Well-balanced  Growth. — A  pullet  should  not  be 
"forced"  for  extra  early  laying,  but  must  be  given  time  to  develop 
her  body  (the  egg  machine).  High-protein  growing  rations  are 
needed  during  the  first  months  of  a  chicken's  life  when  growth  is  most 
rapid,  but  if  fed  too  long,  they  will,  by  stimulating  the  bird  into 
abnormally  early  laying,  stunt  her  in  size,  in  vitality,  and  in  the 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  FEEDING  15 

quality  as  well  as  quantity  of  her  production.  Laying  fowls  should 
be  brought  normally  to  sexual  maturity  by  the  skillful  use  of  mashes 
of  moderate  protein  content  after  the  birds  are  three  months  old. 
Such  feeding  enables  them  to  attain  a  sufficient  maturity  of  growth 
and  strength  before  they  are  required  to  withstand  the  severe  strain 
of  high  production  and  will  always  prove  the  more  profitable  method 
of  feeding.  Excessive  quantities  of  under-sized  eggs,  bloody  shelled 
eggs  and  eggs  containing  blood  spots,  as  well  as  heavy  losses  from 
eversion  of  the  oviduct,  are  some  of  the  penalties  paid  by  poultrymen 
for  "forcing"  their  stock  for  early  laying. 


PEN    FATTENING 

The  growing  or  laying  ration,  discussed  in  preceding  pages,  should 
be  fed  until  such  time  as  the  birds  are  to  be  fattened  for  market. 
They  should  then  be  placed  in  pens  with  only  medium  sized  yards 
and  a  crumbly,  moist  mash,  like  the  following  one,  substituted  for  the 
dry  mash  previously  fed : 

20%  wheat  bran 

20%  wheat  shorts  ■  '    '  : 

25%  barley  meal 

25%  cornmeal  or  ground  milo 

10%  meatscrap  or  fishscrap 

2£%  finely  granulated  charcoal. 

Note. — A  mixture  of  from  %  to  %  millrun  and  %  to  %  flour  mid- 
dlings, depending  on  whether  the  millrun  is  largely  bran  or 
not,  can  be  used  in  place  of  the  bran  and  shorts.  All  propor- 
tions are  by  weight. 

The  mash  should  be  moistened  with  buttermilk  or  sour  skim  milk, 
if  possible.  If  the  fowls  can  also  be  given  all  the  milk  they  will  drink, 
the  meatscrap  may  be  omitted  from  the  mixture.  If  milk  as  a  drink 
can  be  given  only  a  part  of  the  time,  the  meatscrap  should  not  be 
omitted.  '  ! 

One  feeding  of  moistened  mash  should  be  given  at  noon  during  the 
first  week  of  fattening  and  the  scratch  grain  previously  used  should 
be  fed  morning  and  night  in  a  straw  litter.  Only  as  much  mash 
should  be  given  at  each  feeding  as  the  chickens  will  clean  up  in  half 
an  hour.  In  the  second  and  third  weeks  the  mash  is  fed  at  noon  and 
at  night,  and  grain  fed  in  the  morning.  Beginning  with  the  fourth 
week,  the  moist  mash  is  fed  three  times  a  day  until  the  fowls  are  ready 
for  market.  As  much  green  stuff  as  the  birds  will  eat  should  be  given 
daily  at  9  a.m.  and  2  p.m.  and  a  hopper  of  grit  kept  before  them  at 
all  times. 


16  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

The  condition  of  the  stock  should  be  watched  carefully  during  the 
fattening  period  which  should  not  extend  beyond  five  weeks.  Some 
birds,  being  better  feeders  than  others,  will  gain  more  rapidly  and 
can  be  marketed  sooner.  Feeding  too  long,  on  the  other  hand,  will 
throw  the  fowls  off  their  feed  and  cause  them  to  lose  weight.  Broilers 
weighing  from  1  to  iy2  pounds  should  be  ready  for  killing  at  from  9 
to  12  weeks  of  age  when  pen-fattened  in  this  way. 


CRATE    FATTENING 

Method  of  Feeding. — Crate  fattening  is  used  when  it  is  desired 
to  produce  very  choice  milk-fed  fowls  that  are  as  tender,  juicy  and 
toothsome  as  possible.  Birds  under  9  weeks  of  age  will  make  better 
gains  if  pen-fattened.  Older  birds  can  generally  be  crate-fattened 
to  best  advantage,  although  birds  of  any  age  can  be  pen-fattened  also. 
When  shipped  alive,  crate-fattened  stock  usually  suffers  a  higher  per- 
centage of  shrinkage  than  stock  fattened  on  hard  grain  and  less 
sloppy  mash  feeds.  For  this  reason  it  is  inadvisable  to  crate-fatten 
poultry  on  the  farm  unless  it  is  killed  and  dressed  there. 

Crates  Used. — In  crate  fattening  the  birds  are  shut  up  in  crates, 
each  compartment  of  which  is  about  three  feet  long,  2  feet  wide  and 
18  inches  high.  The  crates  may  be  covered  on  all  sides  with  lath, 
or  the  lath  may  be  used  only  in  front  with  the  other  sides  covered  with 
1-inch  netting.  The  strips  covering  the  front  should  be  run  ver- 
tically so  that  the  fowls  can  poke  their  heads  through  and  eat  out  of 
the  feed  trough  fastened  to  the  front  of  each  crate.  These  strips  are 
spaced  from  iy2  inches  to  1%  inches  apart  for  half -grown  fowls,  such 
as  broilers  and  fryers,  and  2  inches  apart  for  mature  fowls.  Small 
market  stock  of  the  lighter  breeds,  such  as  broilers  and  small  frys, 
can  often  squeeze  through  strips  2  inches  apart.  Slats  may  be  used 
for  the  bottom,  but  square,  coarse,  heavy  grade  mesh  wire  cloth  is 
much  more  sanitary  and  easier  to  keep  clean.  The  crates  are  usually 
placed  two  and  three  deep  in  the  fattening  house  and  a  pan  1  inch 
deep,  of  the  same  size  as  the  bottom  of  each  compartment,  is  placed 
directly  underneath  the  bottom  of  such  compartment  to  catch  the 
droppings  falling  through.  These  pans  can  be  pulled  out  and  cleaned 
every  day  and  the  coops  thus  kept  clean  and  sanitary.  The  birds 
need  not  be  disturbed  from  the  time  they  are  put  in  until  they  are  fat 
enough  for  market,  the  cleaning  and  feeding  all  being  done  from  the 
outside. 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  feeding  17 

The  feed  troughs  can  be  made  of  wood  or  from  ordinary  5-inch, 
roll-rim,  galvanized  iron  roof  gutter,  cut  to  proper  lengths  and  with 
ends  soldered  on.  The  local  tinsmith  will  make  such  troughs  at  small 
cost. 

The  fowls  are  put  into  the  crates  and  feed  withheld  for  24  hours 
before  starting  the  fattening  process  so  that  they  will  be  very  hungry 
and  take  kindly  to  the  new  diet.  They  are  then  fed  a  special  crate- 
fattening  ration  three  times  a  day. 

The  following  formula  represents  a  good  example  of  a  crate- 
fattening  ration : 

2  lbs.  barley  meal 

1  lb.  cornmeal 

1  lb.  shorts 

8  to  10  lbs.  buttermilk 

Sufficient  milk  is  used  to  make  a  mixture  just  thin  enough  to  run 
off  of  a  spoon.  A  mixture  of  the  consistency  of  a  thick  pancake 
batter  is  right.  After  being  mixed,  it  is  often  allowed  to  stand  from 
6  to  12  hours  before  being  fed  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  its 
digestibility. 

The  fowls  are  given  at  each  feeding  only  what  they  will  clean  up 
in  about  20  minutes.  They  receive  no  water  to  drink  as  the  milk 
supplies  sufficient  liquid.  Charcoal  and  grit  may  be  put  before  the 
birds  two  or  three  times  a  week  with  benefit. 

Crate  fattening  is  such  a  forcing  process  that  it  can  not  be  carried 
on  for  more  than  21  days  without  danger  of  the  stock  going  off  feed 
and  rapidly  losing  vitality.  One  and  one-half  pound  broilers  can  be 
nicely  finished  off  in  this  way  in  from  12  to  14  days.  For  roasting 
carcasses,  fowls  that  are  not  quite  mature  make  most  rapid  gains  when 
crate  fattened.  Three-fourths  mature  fowls  can  be  fattened  for  a 
longer  time  than  younger  stock.  Especially  crate-fattened,  milk-fed 
stock  is  always  in  demand  at  fancy  prices  because  of  the  plump,  juicy 
and  tender  carcass  produced  by  the  buttermilk  mash  under  this  system 
of  close  confinement. 

FEEDING    POULTRY    ON    THE    FARM 

Table  fowls  and  eggs  can  undoubtedly  be  produced  at  least  cost 
on  the  farm  where  the  feed  is  grown  to  a  large  extent.  Poultry  will 
pick  up  from  the  stubble  fields  and  from  around  the  barns  a  great 
deal  of  feed  that  would  otherwise  be  wasted  and  will  turn  this  feed 
into  eggs  and  meat.  Thy  will  also  obtain  valuable  elements  of  their 
diet  in  such  articles  as  tender  greens,  seeds,  worms  and  slugs.    Poultry 


18  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

on  the  farm,  therefore,  should  be  given  free  range  in  order  that  they 
may  pick  up  as  much  as  possible  of  their  feed.  The  farmer  will  then 
have  to  supply  from  the  bin  only  the  feed  which  the  fowls  cannot 
provide  for  themselves. 

A  farmer  growing  barley,  milo  and  wheat  and  keeping  a  number 
of  cows,  can  formulate  from  the  food  supply  produced  on  the  farm, 
excellent  laying  and  breeding,  growing,  or  fattening  rations  such  as 
are  described  in  the  previous  pages.  Referring,  for  example,  to  the 
laying  and  breeding  ration  on  page  2,  the  bran  and  shorts  may  be 
replaced  by  ground  whole  wheat,  and  the  high-protein  animal  and 
vegetable  feeds,  such  as  soy  beans,  linseed,  cottonseed  and  coconut 
meals,  meatscrap  and  fishscrap,  may  be  replaced  by  buttermilk  or 
sour  skim  milk.  In  other  words,  a  well  balanced  diet  for  birds  of 
any  age  may  consist  of  a  grain  mixture  of  two  or  three  cracked  or 
whole  grains  according  to  the  age  of  the  birds,  a  mash  mixture  con- 
sisting of  two  or  three  finely  ground  grains,  including  some  wheat, 
and  the  greens,  insects,  worms  and  seeds  which  the  birds  will  pick 
up  on  range.  Following  are  two  suggested  grain  mixtures  for  fowls 
over  three  months  old  and  a  suggested  mash  mixture  for  stock  of 
any  age : 

Grain  Mixture  No.  1  Grain  Mixture  No.  2 

50%  cracked  yellow  corn  50%  field-run  barley 

50%  field-run  barley  25%  milo 

25%  cracked  yellow  corn 

Mash  Mixture 

50%  finely  ground  whole  wheat 
25%  finely  ground  whole  milo  or  yellow  corn 
25%  finely  ground  whole  barley  or  oats 
Buttermilk  or  sour  skim  milk  kept  before  the  fowls  in  drink- 
ing vessels  and  used  to  mix  moist  mashes.* 

A  well  designed  and  constructed  henhouse  should  be  provided  in 
which  fowls  are  fed  all  the  feed  given  to  them  and  in  which  they  are 
made  to  roost  at  all  times,  f  If  fowls  are  taught  to  use  the  henhouse 
from  the  beginning  by  shutting  them  up  in  it  for  three  to  seven  days, 
if  necessary,  when  first  put  in,  no  trouble  should  be  experienced  with 
their  roosting  in  the  trees  and  outbuildings.     Providing  good  clean 


*  See  discussion  of  milk  for  poultry  feeding  on  pages  6  and  11. 

f  Plans  for  a  farm  poultry  laying  house  will  be  furnished  upon  request  to  those 
contemplating  the  construction  of  such  a  building,  by  the  Division  of  Agricultural 
Extension,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  Cal. 


Circular  242]  POULTRY  FEEDING  19 

nests  in  the  henhouse  and  keeping  the  fowls  off  the  range  in  the  early 
morning  until  they  get  thoroughly  used  to  laying  in  these  nests,  will 
result  in  practically  all  eggs  being  laid  in  the  henhouse  and  in  very 
few  stolen  nests.  A  dirty  henhouse,  full  of  mites  and  other  vermin, 
will  drive  hens  to  the  trees  to  roost  and  to  lay  in  the  fence  corners 
and  elsewhere.  A  hen  is  a  creature  of  habit.  Give  her  a  comfortable 
henhouse  and  accustom  her  to  use  it  and  she  will  do  so  without  further 
attention.  Such  a  henhouse  means  more  fresh-laid  eggs  to  be  collected 
daily,  since  fewer  nests  are  stolen,  and  fewer  stolen  chickens,  because 
the  hens  can  be  locked  up  at  night. 

Medium-sized  yards  should  be  erected  in  connection  with  the  hen- 
houses, however,  in  order  to  provide  a  means  of  confining  one  or  more 
small  pens  of  the  choicest  breeding  fowls  sufficiently  long  during  the 
breeding  season,  to  obtain  hatching  eggs  for  the  spring  hatches  of 
chicks.  It  may  also  be  desirable  to  pen  up  the  entire  flock  from  time 
to  time  to  keep  them  out  of  certain  fields  or  orchard  plots  during 
periods  of  cultivation  or  harvest.  The  number  and  size  of  yards  will 
be  governed  by  specific  conditions  on  each  farm. 

In  many  sections  of  the  state,  poultry  are  being  run  in  orchards. 
TJie  advantages  urged  in  favor  of  this  practice  are:  (1)  that  the 
poultry  manure  is  valuable  as  a  fertilizer  for  the  trees;  (2)  that 
poultry  are  a  welcome  source  of  income  during  the  growing,  unpro- 
ductive period  of  the  3roung  orchard  and  the  poor  crop  years  of  the 
bearing  orchard;  (3)  that  the  trees  furnish  much  needed  summer 
shade  for  the  fowls;  (4)  that  both  the  trees  and  the  fowls  can  use  the 
same  land  and  two  incomes  can  be  secured  per  acre. 

There  are  also  a  number  of  disadvantages  in  running  fowls  in 
orchards.  Whether  the  advantages  will  outweigh  the  disadvantages 
in  any  specific  case  will  depend  upon  the  kind  of  orchard,  the  value 
of  the  land,  the  soil  conditions,  and  many  other  factors  that  cannot 
be  entered  into  in  a  brief  discussion  of  this  kind.  It  is  simply  desired 
to  point  out  that  orchards  offer  possibilities  for  poultry  raising  and 
that  many  growers  have  found  it  profitable  to  use  their  orchards  in 
this  way. 

POULTRY   A   MARKET   FOR    BY-PRODUCTS 

The  value  of  livestock  as  a  medium  for  marketing  much  of  the 
vegetable  products  grown  on  the  farm  so  as  to  secure  the  manurial 
by-product,  is  becoming  more  and  more  appreciated.  The  general 
rancher,  growing  alfalfa,  grain,  etc.,  who  feeds  a  good  share  of  these 
products  to  livestock  and  then  markets  the  stock,  is  able  not  only  to 
secure  his  feed  at  a  lower  cost  than  if  purchased  from  outside  sources, 


20  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

including-  additional  handling  and  transportation  charges,  but  also 
to  return  the  manure  to  the  land  to  maintain  its  fertility.  Poultry 
produce  about  30  pounds  of  roost  manure  and  perhaps  20  pounds  of 
day  droppings  per  bird  annually.  Three  hundred  chickens  will  pro- 
duce about  4i/2  tons  of  night  droppings  and  3  tons  of  day  droppings 
annually. 

Nearly  every  farm  in  California  keeps  at  least  fifty  fowls  or  more. 
It  is  contended  by  many  that  such  a  small  number  of  fowls  can  be 
indifferently  cared  for  and  still  be  profitable,  since  they  can  pick 
up  most  of  their  living  about  the  barns  and  fields,  and  although  given 
practically  no  care,  will  lay  fairly  well  because  of  the  combined 
advantages  of  small  numbers  and  free-range  conditions.  These  fowls 
are  kept  on  the  farm  primarily  with  the  idea  of  supplying  the  family 
larder  and  are  not  looked  upon  as  a  money-making  part  of  the  farm 
work.  They  are  generally  infested  with  vermin,  are  rarely  bred  or 
culled  for  egg  production,  and  are  often  kept  in  dirty,  close  or 
draughty  and  vermin-infested  henhouses.  Thus  they  have  not  even 
half  a  chance  to  do  well,  with  the  result  that  the  hens  lay  almost 
entirely  in  the  spring  and  not  very  well  then,  supplying  the  larder  for 
only  a  brief  part  of  the  year.  The  net  profit  from  fowls  handled  in 
such  a  manner  as  compared  with  that  from  an  equal  number  of  well 
cared  for  fowls  conclusively  demonstrates  the  dollars-and-cents  desir- 
ability of  giving  the  time  and  attention  required  to  make  a  poultry 
flock  yield  the  returns  which  a  well  managed  flock  should  produce. 
Poultry  which  are  as  carefully  and  intelligently  looked  after  as  dairy 
cattle,  beef  cattle  or  hogs,  are  fully  as  profitable,  per  dollar  invested, 
as  any  other  kind  of  livestock  on  the  farm,  when  the  amount  of  waste 
feed  which  they  pick  up  on  range  is  considered. 


Circular  242] 


POULTRY  FEEDING 


21 


TABLE  OF  AVERAGE  COMPOSITION  AND  DIGESTIBILITY  OF  POULTRY 
FEEDS,  IN  PER  CENT* 

Since  some  of  the  fiber  is  digestible,  the  digestible  fiber  is  in- 
cluded in   the  figures  given   of  digestible  nutrients 


Grains 

Barley,  whole 

Barley,  hulled 

Beans,  dried 

Bean,  navy 

Buckwheat 

Field  pea 

Corn  meal 

Egyptian  corn 

Feterita  

Flaxseed 

Horse  bean 

Indian  Corn 

Kaffir  corn 

Kaoliang 

Millet 

Milo  maize 

Oats,  whole 

Oats,  hulled 

Rice,  hulled 

Rice,  paddy 

Rice,  polished 

Rye 

Sorghum 

Soy  bean 

Sunflower  seed 

Wheat,  plump 

Wheat,  shrunken. 
Wheat  screenings. 


Factory  By-Products 

Alfalfa  meal 

Beet  pulp,  dried 

Beet  pulp,  fresh 

Bean  meal 

Coconut  meal 

Cottonseed  meal 

Corn  bran 

Germ  oil  meal 

Gluten  feed 

Gluten  meal 


Water 


11.90 

9.80 

90.00 

10.97 

14.08 

9.85 

10.00 

7.80 

7.80 

8. '20 


Ash 


2.74 
2.80 
3.50 
3.60 
2.00 
3.40 
1.54 
2.03 
1.50 
4.30 
3.80 
1.50 
1.50 
1.90 
4.05 
2.30 
3.00 
2.20 
1.31 
4.90 
0.50 
1.90 
2.10 
4.70 
2.60 
1.76 
2.34 
2.71 


7.13 
2.97 

.36 
8.03 
4.36 
4.86 
2.40 
3.30 
1.10 

.90 


Fiber 


5.79 
2.90 
4.40 
5.80 

11.70 
5.60 
2.00 
1.97 
1.20 
7.10 
7.10 
2.20 
1.40 

10.50 

12.40 
3.00 
9.50 
1.40 
0.75 
9.30 
0.40 
1.70 
2.60 
4.80 

29.90 
2.45 
3.48 
6.00 


27.09 
25.45 
2.11 
2.92 
9.53 
3.19 
9.80 
13.70 
5.30 
3.30 


Digestible 

Car  bo- 
Protein  hydrates 

Fat 

Nutri- 
tive 
Ratio 

8.75 

64.30 

1.75 

1:7.7 

8.40 

67.50 

2.00 

1:8.6 

17.40 

48.60 

1.10 

1:2.9 

18.80 

51.30 

.80 

1:2.8 

8.10 

48.20 

2.40 

1:6.9 

19.00 

55.80 

.60 

1:3.0 

6.40 

66.30 

3.40 

1:11.5 

8.35 

63.29 

1.58 

1:8.0 

9.30 

66.60 

2.50 

1:7.8 

20.60 

17.10 

29.00 

1:4.0 

22.80 

49.10 

.70 

1:2.2 

8.60 

63.80 

4.20 

1:8.5 

7.50 

70.50 

2.60 

1:10.3 

8.50 

67.00 

3.30 

1:8.8 

19.63 

34.72 

3.85 

1:2.2 

8.02 

67.68 

2.52 

1:9.1 

9.20 

47.30 

4.20 

1:6.2 

11.40 

57.70 

7.50 

1:6.5 

3.91 

69.90 

2.42 

1:19.3 

4.70 

64.60 

1.70 

1:14.6 

4.60 

72.80 

0.40 

1:16.0 

7.50 

63.60 

1.10 

1:8.8 

7.00 

52.10 

3.10 

1:8.4 

29.60 

22.30 

14.40 

1:2.0 

12.10 

20.80 

29.00 

1:7.1 

9.20 

61.10 

1.20 

1:6.9 

13.20 

57.40 

1.80 

1:4.6 

7.74 

47.57 

1.60 

1:6.6 

10.17 

39.61 

1.05 

1:4.1 

4.10 

59.50 

.65 

1:14.9 

.90 

7.30 

.10 

1:8.2 

19.00 

44.00 

.77 

1:2.4 

16.40 

42.40 

9.70 

1:3.9 

41.10 

15.40 

11.00 

1:1.0 

5.80 

56.90 

4.60 

1:11.6 

10.00 

50.30 

10.00 

1:7.3 

20.4 

48.30 

8.80 

1:3.3 

25.80 

43.30 

14.00 

1:2.9 

%  Lactic 
Acid 


*Compiled  largely  from   California   Station   Bulletin   No.   164   and  from   Henry  &   Morrison's 
"Feeds  and  Feeding." 


22 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


TABLE  OF  AVERAGE  COMPOSITION  AND  DIGESTIBILITY  OF  POULTRY 
FEEDS,  IN  PER  CENT*— (Continued) 


Ground  barley 

Hominy  feed 

Linseed  meal,  N.P 

Linseed  meal,  O.P 

Oat  feed 

Peanut  meal 

Red-dog  flour 

Rice  bran 

Rice  meal 

Rice  polish 

Rye  feed 

Rye  middlings 

Soy  bean  meal 

Wheat  bran 

Wheat  middlings,  flour. 
Wheat  shorts 


Animal  Products 

Bone  meal 

Blood,  dried 

Blood,  fresh 

Fresh  Meat  (Beef).... 
Fresh  green  cut  bone. 

Fish  scrap 

Meat  scrap 

Pork  cracklings 


Milk  Products 

Buttermilk 

Skim  milk 

Whey 

Milk  albumen,  granulat'd 

Dried  skim  milk 

Dried  buttermilk 


Water 


8.44 
10.10 
10.93 

9.35 
10.20 
10.70 
11.10 
10.10 

9.50 
10.00 
11.50 
11.40 
10.48 
11.04 
10.70 

9.80 


6.91 

11.37 

76.00 

64.70 

30.40 

8.86 

9.90 

5.00 


90.30 
90.60 
93.40 
12.00 
7.00 
7.50 


Ash 


2.56 
2.60 
4.50 
5.22 
4.00 
4.90 
2.50 
9.70 
9.10 
4.80 
3.80 
3.70 
6.27 
5.16 
3.70 
3.93 


56.93 

2.18 

.59 

0.90 

21.10 

18.26 

16.35 

2.30 


.70 

.70 

.70 

23.00 

6.50 

7.40 


Fiber 


6.55 
4.40 
8.89 
6.23 
18.5 
5.10 
2.20 
12.40 
11.80 
1.90 
4.70 
4.60 
5.01 
8.60 
4.70 
7.12 


57 


Digestible 


Protein 


8.60 

7.00 

26.10 

24.40 

6.9 

42.90 

14.80 

7.90 

7.30 

8.00 

12.20 

12.60 

40.00 

12.62 

15.70 

13.02 


27.30 
75.50 
22.10 
18.70 
18.30 
49.00 
50.20 
52.40 


4.00 

3.30 

.80 

51.70 

36.00 

36.80 


Carbo- 
hydrates 


66.10 
61.20 
38.50 
24.00 
37.00 
22.80 
56.50 
38.10 
48.10 
57.20 
55.80 
55.50 
22.50 
38.88 
52.80 
46.04 


1.60 


6.30 
4.00 


4.50 
5.30 
4.70 
5.60 
48.20 
39.90 


Fat 


1.74 
7.30 
6.50 

16.70 
3.2 
6.90 
3.50 
8.80 

10.60 
7.50 
2.90 
3.10 
6.55 
2.25 
4.30 
3.78 


5.10 
.30 
.10 
15.78 
24.50 
10.40 
12.20 
32.60 


.50 
.10 
.30 

6.70 
.60 

3.10 


Nutri- 
tive 
Ratio 


8.1 

11.1 

2.0| 

2.5 

6.4 

0.9! 

4.4 

7.3 

9.8 

9.3 

5.1 

5.0 

0.9 

3.4 

4.0 

4.2 


1:0.4 
1:0.3 

1:1.9 

1:3.0 
1:0.6 
1:0.6 
1:1.4 


1.4 
1.7 

6.8 
0.4 
1.4 
1.3 


%Lactic 
Acid 


0.5 
0.1 
0.5 

1.7 
5.3 


♦Compiled  largely  from  California  Station  Bulletin  No. 
and  Feeding." 


164  and  from  Henry  &  Morrison's  "Feeds 


STATION   PUBLICATIONS   AVAILABLE   FOR   FREE   DISTRIBUTION 


BULLETINS 


No. 
185. 

241. 
246. 
251. 


253. 

261. 
262. 

263. 
266. 

267. 
268. 
270. 


271. 
273. 

275. 

276. 
278. 
279. 
280. 

282. 

283. 
285. 
286. 
287. 
294. 
297. 
298. 
299. 
300. 
304. 


No. 
Report  of  Progress  in  Cereal  Investiga-  308. 

tions. 
Vine  Pruning  in  California,  Part  I. 
Vine  Pruning  in  California,  Part  II.  309. 

Utilization  of  the  Nitrogen  and  Organic 

Matter    in    Septic    and    Imhoff    Tank  310. 

Sludges.  _  312. 

Irrigation    and    Soil    Conditions    in    the  313. 

Sierra  Nevada  Foothills,  California.  316. 

Melaxuma  of  the  Walnut,  "Juglans  regia."  317. 

Citrus    Diseases    of    Florida    and    Cuba  318. 

Compared  with  Those  of  California.  320. 

Size  Grades  for  Ripe  Olives.  321. 

A  Spotting  of  Citrus  Fruits  Due  to  the  323. 

Action  of  Oil  Liberated  from  the  Rind. 
Experiments  with  Stocks  for  Citrus.  324. 

Growing  and  Grafting  Olive  Seedlings. 
A  Comparison  of  Annual  Cropping,   Bi-  325. 

ennial   Cropping,    and    Green    Manures 

on  the  Yield  of  Wheat. 
Feeding  Dairy  Calves  in  California.  328. 

Preliminary  Report  on  Kearney  Vineyard  329. 

Experimental  Drain.  330. 

The  Cultivation   of   Belladonna   in   Cali-  331. 

fornia.  332. 

The  Pomegranate.  333. 

Grain  Sorghums. 

Irrigation  of  Rice  in  California.  334. 

Irrigation  of  Alfalfa  in  the  Sacramento 

Valley.  335. 

Trials   with    California   Silage   Crops    for 

Dairy  Cows.  336. 

The  Olive  Insects  of  California. 

The  Milk  Goat  in  California.  337. 

Commercial  Fertilizers.  338. 

Vinegar  from  Waste  Fruits. 

Bean  Culture  in  California.  339. 

The  Almond  in  California. 

Seedless  Raisin  Grapes.  340. 

The  Use  of  Lumber  on  California  Farms.  341. 

Commercial  Fertilizers.  342. 

A    Study   on   the   Effects   of   Freezes    on 

Citrus  in  California. 


I.  Fumigation  with  Liquid  Hydrocyanic 
Acid.  II.  Physical  and  Chemical  Pro- 
perties of  Liquid  Hydrocyanic  Acid. 

I.  The  Carob  in  California.  II.  Nutritive 
Value  of  the  Carob  Bean. 

Plum  Pollination. 

Mariout  Barley. 

Pruning  Young  Deciduous  Fruit  Trees. 

The  Kaki  or  Oriental  Persimmon. 

Selections  of  Stocks  in  Citrus  Propagation. 

The  Effects  of  Alkali  on  Citrus  Trees. 

Control  of  the  Coyote  in  California. 

Commercial  Production  of  Grape  Syrup. 

Heavy  vs.  Light  Grain  Feeding  for  Dairy 
Cows. 

Storage  of  Perishable  Fruit  at  Freezing 
Temperatures. 

Rice  Irrigation  Measurements  and  Ex- 
periments in  Sacramento  Valley,  1914- 
1919. 

Prune  Growing  in  California. 

A  White  Fir  Volume  Table. 

Dehydration  of  Fruits. 

Phylloxera-Resistant  Stocks. 

Walnut  Culture  in  California. 

Some  Factors  Affecting  the  Quality  of 
Ripe  Olives. 

Preliminary  Volume  Tables  for  Second- 
Growth  Redwoods. 

Cocoanut  Meal  as  a  Feed  for  Dairy  Cows 
and  Other  Livestock. 

The  Preparation  of  Nicotine  Dust  as  an 
Insecticide. 

Some  Factors  of  Dehydrater  Efficiency. 

Selection  and  Treatment  of  Waters  for 
Spraying  Purposes. 

The  Relative  Cost  of  Making  Logs  from 
Small  and  Large  Timber. 

Control  of  the  Pocket  Gopher  in  California. 

Studies  on  Irrigation  of  Citrus  Groves. 

Hog  Feeding  Experiments. 


CIRCULARS 


No.  No. 

70.  Observations    on    the    Status    of    Corn  160. 

Growing  in  California.  161. 

82.  The  Common  Ground  Squirrels  of  Cali-  164. 

fornia.  165. 
87.  Alfalfa. 

110.  Green  Manuring  in  California.  166. 

111.  The  Use  of  Lime  and  Gypsum  on  Cali-  167. 

fornia  Soils.  169. 

113.  Correspondence  Courses  in  Agriculture.  170. 
115.  Grafting  Vinif era  Vineyards. 

126.  Spraying  for  the  Grape  Leaf  Hopper.  172. 

127.  House  Fumigation.  173. 

128.  Insecticide  Formulas.  174. 

129.  The  Control  of  Citrus  Insects.  175. 

130.  Cabbage  Growing  in  California. 

138.  The  Silo  in  California  Agriculture.  178. 

144.  Oidium  or  Powdery  Mildew  of  the  Vine.  179. 
148.  "Lungworms." 

151.  Feeding  and  Management  of  Hogs.  181. 

152.  Some  Observations  on  the  Bulk  Handling  182. 

of  Grain  in  California. 

153.  Announcement    of    the    California    State  183. 

Dairy  Cow  Competition,  1916-18.  184. 

154.  Irrigation    Practice    in    Growing    Small  188. 

Fruits  in  California.  189. 

155.  Bovine  Tuberculosis.  190. 

157.  Control  of  the  Pear  Scab.  193. 

158.  Home  and  Farm  Canning.  198. 

159.  Agriculture  in  the  Imperial  Valley.  201. 


Lettuce  Growing  in  California. 
Potatoes  in  California. 
Small  Fruit  Culture  in  California. 
Fundamentals    of    Sugar    Beet    Culture 

under  California  Conditions. 
The  County  Farm  Bureau. 
Feeding  Stuffs  of  Minor  Importance. 
The  1918  Grain  Crop. 
Fertilizing  California  Soils  for  the   1918 

Crop. 
Wheat  Culture. 

The  Construction  of  the  Wood-Hoop  Silo. 
Farm  Drainage  Methods. 
Progress   Report  on  the   Marketing  and 

Distribution  of  Milk. 
The  Packing  of  Apples  in  California. 
Factors  of  Importance  in  Producing  Milk 

of  Low  Bacterial  Count. 
Control  of  the  California  Ground  Squirrel. 
Extending  the  Area  of  Irrigated  Wheat  in 

California  for  1918. 
Infectious  Abortion  in  Cows. 
A  Flock  of  Sheep  on  the  Farm. 
Lambing  Sheds. 
Winter  Forage  Crops. 
Agriculture  Clubs  in  California. 
A  Study  of  Farm  Labor  in  California. 
Syrup  from  Sweet  Sorghum. 
Helpful  Hints  to  Hog  Raisers. 


CIRCULARS— Continued 


No. 
202. 


County  Organizations  for  Rural  Fire  Con- 
trol. 
Peat  as  a  Manure  Substitute. 
Blackleg. 
Jack  Cheese. 

208.  Summary  of  the  Annual  Reports  of  the 

Farm  Advisors  of  California. 

209.  The  Function  of  the  Farm  Bureau. 

210.  Suggestions  to  the  Settler  in  California. 
212.  Salvaging  Rain-Damaged  Prunes. 

214.  Seed   Treatment   for   the   Prevention    of 

Cereal  Smuts. 
Feeding  Dairy  Cows  in  California. 
Methods    for    Marketing    Vegetables    in 

California. 
Advanced  Registry  Testing  of  Dairy  Cows. 

219.  The  Present  Status  of  Alkali. 

220.  Unfermented  Fruit  Juices. 

221.  How  California  is  Helping  People  Own 

Farms  and  Rural  Homes. 

223.  The  Pear  Thrips. 

224.  Control  of  the  Brown  Apricot  Scale  and 

the    Italian   Pear   Scale   on    Deciduous 
Fruit  Trees. 

225.  Propagation  of  Vines. 

227.  Plant  Diseases  and  Pest  Control. 

228.  Vineyard  Irrigation  in  Arid  Climates. 

229.  Cordon  Pruning. 


No. 

230 


203 
205 
206 


215 
217 


218. 


Testing  Milk,  Cream,  and  Skim  Milk  for 
Butter  fat. 

The  Home  Vineyard. 

Harvesting  and  Handling  California 
Cherries  for  Eastern  Shipment. 

Artificial  Incubation. 

Winter  Injury  to  Young  Walnut  Trees 
During  1921-22. 

Soil  Analysis  and  Soil  and  Plant  Inter- 
relations. 

The  Common  Hawks  and  Owls  of  Cali- 
fornia from  the  Standpoint  of  the 
Rancher. 

Directions  for  the  Tanning  and  Dressing 
of  Furs. 

The  Apricot  in  California. 

Harvesting  and  Handling  Apricots  and 
Plums  for  Eastern  Shipment. 

Harvesting  and  Handling  Pears  for  East- 
ern Shipment. 

Harvesting  and  Handling  Peaches  for 
Eastern  Shipment. 

Poultry  Feeding. 

Marmalade  Juice  and  Jelly  Juice  from 
Citrus  Fruits. 

244.  Central  Wire  Bracing  for  Fruit  Trees. 

245.  Vine  Pruning  Systems. 


231 
232 


233 
234 


235. 
236. 


237. 


238. 
239. 


240. 
241. 


242. 
243. 


